HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: The Saddest Boy in the World

This week we went outside the box for Hit me with your best shot, looking at the quirky short films of Canadian filmmaker Jamie Travis. I managed to watch all 3 of the selected films and my favourite was "The Saddest Boy in the World". To me, it felt like a mix between the dark comedy of Hal Ashby (specifically "Harold and Maude" with the suicidal aspect and oblivious mother) and the meticulously art directed style of Wes Anderson. This combination gives it a wry quality that I really enjoyed.

I tried to capture the film's best qualities with my choice for best shot, eventually settling on the image below. I think it shows that Wes Anderson type of orderly composition, where the human characters are part of the art direction. In addition, I like the juxtaposition of the dull faces with the ice cream cones, since children + ice cream usually signifies joy. Within the context of the film, there's also another layer of brilliant comedy. These children are actually staring at our title character (who has just missed the ice cream van) and they have the audacity to *not* seem like they're enjoying it! Man, he truly was the saddest boy in the world.

Click below for my favourite shot...